We've All Had Our Moments
by RachelItIs
Summary: Collection of drabbles and one shots. Will range from Romance,angst, comedy, etc. Senshi and Shitennou. Chapter 5: The name and the voice had caught them both off guard. Makoto's hand automatically tightened around the fingers that had been drawing lazy designs in her palm.
1. Names

_I think I'm starting a series of one shots and drabbles. …This was /supposed/ to be a drabble but it uh… got a little long. I hope you enjoy it anyways. These will be all the shitennou/senshi pairings but most will be Minako/Kunzite, I'm sure._

The distance between them was too little and too much at the same time. She should want there to be more; the mere feet from where he stood leaning against her counter and where she stood leaning against her table shouldn't be nearly enough when faced with a man that had twice been her enemy. At the same time, and just like always before, since he wasn't in arms length, she felt as though he couldn't be farther away.

Her hands gripped the table, more to keep herself from going to him. Her head was down, the golden blonde hair making a curtain around her face, hiding the tears that were fighting to escape her blue eyes. One won the fight, falling to the floor, she heard him shuffle in his place. Sure that he'd seen the tear anyways, she looked up.

His grey eyes faced the floor, avoiding her tearful gaze. She'd felt him staring at her since he entered the small apartment, but now he refused to look into her eyes. Her hand twitched, itching to push back the silver strand that fell across his face. She fought it, staring at him now that he felt as if he were on the spot.

Six years after his defeat, and he suddenly shows up here. She didn't even know he was back. She opened her door and lost all train of sensible thought.

'_Can I come in?'_

A nod.

Artemis would be furious if he were there. If he were to come back while the towering soldier stood in the kitchen and the much smaller soldier stood across from him, neither acting as a soldier would. She longed for his eyes to meet hers now. Had they made eye contact since she opened the door? Probably not. Only a handful of words had been passed.

Finally, he looked up. His gaze met her and her breath hitched, a few more tears falling from her eyes. His eyes said nothing good. She saw it coming before it was said.

"I was never meant to fall in love with you," his voice soft, as if he were trying to make it easy. For which one, she didn't know.

"In which life?" her gaze never faltered, but she could feel more tears falling in them.

"Any of them," he answered, and finally made the move to cross the space between them.

She welcomed his advance. He couldn't cause her anymore harm at this point. If he was up to any evil, he had won. Her heart was both broken and expectant at the same time. She waited for him to reach her, his warm hand cupping her cheek gently.

He didn't say anything. He didn't kiss her like she'd hoped. He just stood there, cradling her tear-stained face and staring at her puffy eyes. Finally, after the longest minute she'd ever known, he let go and took a step back.

"Kun…" she started as he turned away.

"Don't," he interrupted her.

She nodded again. She understood. A name would make it too real. Both declarations would be set in stone. She watched as he walked out of her apartment. She heard the door click and finally gave up, collapsing into the closet chair and allowing herself to actually cry.

"Kunzite." She whispered, almost hoping he'd hear and come back.


	2. Motives

"You shouldn't be here?"

"I know."

"I could kill you."

"I know."

"I've done it before."

"More than once," the most words he'd spoken since they met at the top of her stairs.

An angry click of the beak of the bird on the woman's shoulders directed the attention of both people to the agitated bird perched there, staring daggers into the blonde man that stood only a few yards away.

"I mean no harm," his voice was smooth, but almost boyish, just as she always remembered to be when she woke up from those dreams. The dreams she'd never admit to having.

"So what are you doing here?" she shot out harshly, her voice certainly not betraying her mixed feelings. She'd decided long ago no man would cause these feelings in her. No man at all, but especially this one.

He shrugged and she felt herself bristle as he spoke, "I don't know. I just thought I should come. I just wanted to come I guess. I was just walking and this is where I found myself. This is where I found you, remember? I was drawn here that time, too. Not just to do what I did, but something else told me to be here…"

He was rambling. He was the only of the great Guardians of the Prince that she'd ever heard ramble.

She crossed her arms, "Just something, huh? I've never known you not to have an ulterior motive."

She could see the muscles in his face move and he clenched his mouth shut with nothing else to say. After a long moment, he opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally getting the words out, "You're right. I shouldn't have come."

Before she could get any other response out, he was heading down the stairs and out of sight.


	3. Senses

He watched her again, as he normally does when she's there. Only from the shadows, as he always does, behind the guise of a stone sitting on the bookshelf of his master's house. He assumed she had no idea of his presence. That or she played a good show of it every time she visited this house. She never cast a glance his way or seemed to stumble upon a word. Or, maybe she just didn't care.

Her blue eyes were shining with amusement, as they most often do in the company of her closest friends. Her lips were parted in a large smile; he could tell she felt awfully proud of her latest joke. He remembered that smile well. She believed that she was hilarious; not that he was one to disagree.

Her hair was shining gold, as always. The silky waves fell to her hips with perfection. He had never seen a single strand out of place, not even during those most intense fights. She was always the epitome of what a princess should look like. She held her head high, even at this point while casually lounging with friends. When she walked, her steps were even and calculated.

Though she looked and moved as a princess should, her personality had always surprised him. Even back in those days, where she was raised as a princess and not merely as a teenage girl, she had a goofy sense of humor. She was serious about her job, of course, but she was never far from a joke. She often reminded him of Nephrite in that way.

She was laughing; the same sound he remembered from all those millennia ago. She sound flowed around him. Oh, how he was glad he could still hear it. He was glad he could still hear her voice and her laugh and especially the light snort she'll occasionally make when she's trying to hold back her amusement. He even didn't mind when he had to listen to her yell, though it brought back terrible memories. It was still her voice.

She ran her fingers through her hair and he instantly felt a twinge of jealousy. He could still feel all of his emotions but he couldn't feel her hair of silk. He remembered the way it felt in his hand and fell through his fingers without the slightest hint of a tangle. He could remember it perfectly but he longed to feel it again. His current predicament was unfair; he could feel nothing physically. He could only feel what his master felt, and only physically if it was linked to a feeling such as pain.

He skin was ivory and glowing, making her seem soft and fragile. He was too smart for such a thing. She was anything but fragile or someone who needed protection. Even then, he knew the terrifying power that she, and the others of the Moon Kingdom, held. While a few of the Earth's people held powers, such as the generals and the Prince himself, they were no match for the magnificence of their magic. This always had a place in his mind back at that time and it is what, eventually, the evil Queen latched onto.

The wind blew passed her and in the direction of where he watched. He couldn't feel it, but he could certainly imagine the scent that it carried his direction. Unlike many of the high class and royalty of Earth, who preferred to bath in flower scented waters, she always smelled of fruit. He never could exactly place the smell. He didn't recognize it as any earthly fruit. It was too sweet but not so overpowering as any that he could possibly think of. It was simply her.

He was becoming anxious. Every sense of his was on overdrive, hoping to catch some kind of reminder of her. Of course, the only ones he could rely on in that state were his sight and hearing. He felt his frustration growing. He wanted to feel, smell, _taste_. His prince glanced towards the bookshelf, feeling the emotions radiating from his direction. Kunzite bowed and sank back to oblivion.


	4. Challenges

_**AN:** For now this is a O/S. And just going in this OS section. However, I may decide eventually I like the full story idea. If that happens, it will be moved as a story of its own. _

* * *

><p>She'd locked eyes with him the second she'd entered the small workout studio. By that point, it was too late. She couldn't show weakness; it wasn't in her personality to start. However, this was even more than that. She certainly couldn't show weakness in front of him. She would show him, transformed or not, what she was.<p>

She'd held her head high and took her place. The girls around her were giggling, excited about the pretty new instructor. They'd whispered the week before about how the hoped it would be an attractive young man when their regular instructor informed them she was finally going on maternity leave. They'd had to hire someone new for this time slot and for this specialty. She was the only Jujutsu instructor available at this time.

What deity it was she angered for it to be him, she could only guess. They'd only had the slightest suspicions any of them were back. Mamoru had warned them months ago about his broken stones.

He called attention to the class and introduced himself. _Nicholas. _He was American and new to the country. He was very experienced. He hoped they'd treat him well.

She bit her tongue, staring into his face as she had since she'd entered the room. Of course he's experienced. She had seen that numerous times for herself. He hadn't elaborated much but she could fill in the blanks from his training at the Earth Palace to his training in the Dark Kingdom.

His eyes were doing well to look equally at every student in the room. However, whenever his blue eyes met her green, she felt the pressure. He knew. He remembered.

He called roll, greeting every person by name with a smile. When she answered, he stared for a second longer than was normal before greeting her the same as the others. She shook off the sound of her name, her human name, and nodded in return.

They practiced the moves they'd been taught before for warm up. He walked around, moving arms into the correct position and demonstrating. He stayed a good distance from her

"Now please, partner up. You'll practice the grasps but please don't actually try any moves yet. You guys are only a couple months in and I have no idea where you are at," Nephrite gave a clap at the end of his sentence to get everyone moving.

The girl's stomach instantly fell as she quickly spun around the room. She knew she should have forced one of her friends to do this with her. The class was entirely made up of females, which she'd chosen on purpose, and a majority had come with friends or groups. The few that hadn't had already paired together, having become somewhat friends by this point anyways. She knew she should have been more approachable in class, but as in most places, most of her peers kept their distance.

"Well, Miss Kino, I guess it's us," he moved in front of her and offered a small bow. A mumble of jealousy went around the group behind and Makoto was tempted to roll her eyes. He turned back and addressed the class again, "Alright, please remember, just practices the grips. Remember to transition to ground moves slowly. No injuries. That would look terrible on my first day. I'll be around between sets with Miss Kino. After a bit on that, we'll try a few matches. Once I can watch closely enough. Get started."

He turned back to face her, smiling again and bowed once more, "Shall we?"

She didn't answer, bowed and moved forward into position. He smirked, "I would expect you to be in a more advanced class."

There. He had admitted it now. He did remember far more than he was originally letting on. And, worse, he was enjoying it. She steadied herself before answering, "Karate. I usually do karate. I thought I'd learn something new from scratch."

"Must be hard. Very subtle differences," he threw a slow kick and she caught it and, before he could react, swept his other foot out from under him. He was faster, however, and within a second she was on her back and he was standing up again. "I'd said no take downs, Miss Kino. Save it for later."

He walked away without another word to her but ordering the rest back to work. He was once again circling the other students and perfecting their holds.

They didn't practice again together that day and they hardly spoke. She went one round with another girl, though her previous training had the other poor girl far outclassed. Then, the class was over.

As she was grabbing her bag and heading to the door, he spoke again, "You should think about moving up a class. You're too far ahead of most of these girls."

"It was my class first," She stated, only half turning back to him.

"Well, it's my class now," he moved closer. "If you are so bent on staying, I'll have to be your partner from now on."

She narrowed her eyes at him and then turned on her heels, whipping her hair around, "Consider it a challenge."

"Accepted."


	5. Indentities

"Masato?"

The name and the voice had caught them both off guard. Makoto's hand automatically tightened around the fingers that had been drawing lazy designs in her palm.

The day had started off so well. A date. When was the last time they'd been on a date? They'd gotten so busy the past couple of months that neither had had the time. Of course, they'd spent time together, cooking, curling up on the couch, sparring. But, a date had been so long out of the question. And, they were going to enjoy this beautiful, sunny day.

But, that voice… Makoto wasn't even sure the last time she'd heard it. Naru had all but disappeared from Usagi's life, and by extension hers as well, as the fights grew longer and the enemies seemed endless. Once the fighting had finally stopped, it had been too late and Naru had moved on with her life. These types of things weren't unexpected even for normal teenagers.

Conversely, Makoto clearly remembered the last time she'd _discussed_ Naru. It had been just over a year ago and had been one of the last conversations that she'd forced him to have with her before they let the past be the past. Before she'd allow herself to fall prey to his smooth words once again and they had restarted this wonderful, perfect, magical, everything-she-had-ever-dreamed-about life together.

Her eyes were wide but she didn't look back, she continued to stare into his instead. He shifted his hand, lacing his fingers through hers, trying to caress the tension through a simple touch. He wasn't going to acknowledge the call either. His eyes told her that. He had meant what he'd said that day.

_Only you. I promise._

"Masato," the voice was beside them now and if they didn't look up, it'd be obvious that they were trying to ignore her.

She gave him the barest of nods, unseen by her once friend whose attention was solely on the man. Makoto's man. They both turned towards her at the same time, Nephrite with an unassuming smile on his face and Makoto trying her best not to look as wrecked as she felt.

"I'm sorry?" Nephrite spoke first, not the slightest hint recognition in his voice or his eyes.

"Naru!" Makoto called out, maybe a little too cheerfully. "It's been so long!"

Naru's head turned slowly, recognition and surprise obvious on her face, "Makoto?"

Naru hadn't even noticed her sitting there; her hand clutching the hand of Naru's focus and his complete undivided attention and Makoto had still been invisible. She fought to keep her eyes from narrowing. Nephrite must have noticed it; he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and when she glanced at him from the corner of her eye, he was looking at her again with a soft, reassuring smile.

She was working on steadying herself for another response when Naru looked back towards Nephrite, once again ignoring her presence. She bristled.

"Masato," Naru said again with more conviction, as though seeing him face-on so close had affirmed it.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure who you're referring to," he gave her an apologetic smile. "You must have me confused with someone else."

"But…" she started, her eyes traveling from his face down his arm where his hand sat almost in a death grip by Makoto.

Makoto took a breath in silently through her nose, plastering another smile across her face, "Naru, this is my boyfriend Nicolas."

Her eyes widened, as though she was unable to comprehend exactly what was happening, "Nicolas? It's… Nicolas? You're not… Masato?"

"Sorry," he said again, bowing his head slightly.

"Oh," she dropped her eyes to the ground, the forlorn expression on her face finally winning some sympathy from Makoto. "You just… look like him. I guess that's silly since he's… he left."

Makoto frowned, reaching out a hand and setting it gently on Naru's elbow, "Naru, I'm…"

"No, it's okay. It's not your fault. I was silly, hopeful. Sorry for interrupting your lunch, Makoto," she bowed deeply before turning on her heels and trying to get away from the situation as fast as possible, but not before they'd both caught sight of the tears already beginning to fall down her face.

Makoto watched her hand in Nephrite's for several long breaths before finally pulling back and crossing her arms over her chest, "That wasn't fair."

"As unlikely as we thought the situation would be, we knew it'd never be _fair_," Nephrite sighed, his composure falling and the stress of the events showing on his face.

Makoto didn't respond, instead continuing to stare at the space halfway between them. When Nephrite reach across to touch her arm, she flinched away by reflex.

He dropped his hand in its path and pleaded, "Mako."

"I'm sorry," she shook her head, finally meeting his eyes. Hers were laced with guilt and remnants of jealousy. "I just never really thought of your return hurting anyone, having any kind of effect on anyone, but us. I'd only thought of Naru out of jealousy. And, I was jealous. I _am_ jealous. But, I also feel guilty. I got you back. And she… she had to go through that."

"Don't," he demanded, finally succeeding in getting her to uncross her arms and retaking her hand. "Don't feel guilty. None of that is remotely on you. It's all on me. I'm the one lucky enough to be back. I'm the one lucky enough to get to be in love, be with the one I love. I'm the one who did _that_. Gods, Makoto, I've made _so many mistakes_. And, I'll be atoning for them for a long, long time. I'll never be able to fix them all, like that one. I can never make that right. But for the love all things sacred, do _not_ take on that guilt for me."

"Nico," she silenced him gently, leaning across the table and moving her free hand to his cheek. She didn't need to finish her thoughts. He knew. Even if they hadn't been over it before, he'd always known what she was going to say.

"I know," he breathed, leaning against her hand. "I love you."


End file.
